In spite of being a print-only reader and having a great deal of difficulty reading well or easily on screens, I decided that I needed to give digital reading a chance. Since all my books are available in all sorts of formats, I thought it might be a good idea. It only took a couple of days to convince myself which one to get and it was in early November that my Kindle Paperwhite arrived.

And, let’s just say that this old brain of mine is not happy.

It has nothing to do with it being a Kindle vs a Nook vs a Kobo vs etc….I think my brain just simply doesn’t want to process reading that way. It shouldn’t be a surprise — I can’t proof my own work unless I print it out and see it in front of me. I guess my brain needs a combination of seeing the words AND feeling the paper to work – LOL!

I have tried — after taking more than a week to read the first book I tried, I thought I’d had difficult because I didn’t like the story. So, when a new book grabbed my attention and the sample drew me in, I downloaded the rest of it with a sense of anticipation and excitement. And it took me almost 2 weeks to read a book that should have taken me 3-4 days! Since this was the first in a series, I experimented and decided to read the second one in print – just as a test….and it took me 4 days to read the 600 page book….

It feels like I just keep reading and reading and getting nowhere in the story. And I get tired of reading…. I’ve tried to adjust the screen and lighting and font and colors to be similar to my paperbacks. And I’ve kept on reading.

Sigh….

So, how many of you use digital readers? How many still read print-only? A combination? Do you have any suggestions for me to ease my transition . . . or to just help me get comfortable with mine? I’d appreciate it!

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15 thoughts on “I’ve Crossed a Line. . .”

I have a Kindle and love it. That being said, I still read real books. Actually, I bought a real one yesterday since it was two dollars cheaper than on the Kindle. I find that I read faster on the Kindle. We own a 5th wheel RV and travel a great deal. It is much easier to have a Kindle than it is to take a lot of books with us. Plus I don’t have to worry about finding a bookstore because they are hard to find when traveling.

Looking at the specs on the paperwhite–where they claim the highest contrast, I would like it either. I like the old fashioned e-ink reader, as it offers lower constrast than many books, and the font is adjustable. It actually suits my visual perception disorder (Irlen Syndrome) very well, but I wouldn’t like the bright white and black contrast of the paperwhite. I also get tired of reading on a screen (computer, Ipad, touch etc) and would not dream of giving up paperbooks or my e-ink Kobo touch for one of those options. So, perhaps it is just the reader you chose. I read both ebooks and paper–whichever format I can get the book in.

I read on both. I even read on my phone, and the screen is quite small. But sometimes that’s the only thing I have with me when I have time to read. I have very little time to read, so I’ll take it whenever and however I can.

I’m pretty much print-only, except for free stuff on amazon that I’m interested in. I just do not read on screens the same way I read on paper. Trying to read on screens is stressful to me in the exact way that reading on paper is soothing. Also, I like to read in the bath, which is traditionally not the best place to be with electronics. 🙂 Who knew at only thirty-two I could feel like a luddite? On the plus side, I no longer feel guilty about my book-buying habit. I’m plenty stocked up for that dreaded time when all the good stuff to read is not longer available in print.

I am mostly print only. I love the feel of tangible books and I am a book hoarder…I would go mad if I didn’t have anything on my shelves.
I do edit and write on my laptop screen, but I need a hard copy as well. The editing instinct in me, that I developed over 10 years of writing and editing on screen, also makes it difficult to read on an eReader. When I read, I want to escape. If I am reading a self published book that didn’t get edited very well, or even if one typo sneaks in, I am tossed out of the story immediately. It happens in print too, but with print I don’t break into hives trying to hit backspace and delete. 😉
#1 Advantage of an eReader (with a glo light or as an eReading app) – Reading at night. No extra light mini apparatus to try and manage while you turn pages.

I’m no help. I won a kindle about a year ago and so far I’ve read 1 and a half stories lol. I don’t have wifi and I hate downloading it myself so I wait until I visit someone that has it lol. But I have tons of books on it but I still prefer my print books. I guess if I traveled the kindle would be more appealing but I’m home most of the time so I see no real advantage. I like being surrounded by my books and you can share those!

We live in a small condo, so print books aren’t very practical from a space perspective at the moment. When our storage unit in the basement garage became full to bursting with boxes of books, my DH put his foot down. Either I cull my collection or change how I read.

I have a Kindle, but I prefer reading on the Kindle app on my DH’s tablet or my Droid phone. I love the backlighting because it means I can read in bed without disturbing the “light of my light” who’s snoring next to me. I’m totally hooked on ebooks.

I know. I couldn’t believe it either. I was certain I’d be a paper book purist, but truly, the delivery method doesn’t matter. It’s the story. Period.

I love my kindle. I have the keyboard ink-reader. I find that I read faster on my kindle. I do read a couple books at a time: one real book and an ebook. I tend to finish the ebook first, because it’s a lot easier to read in bed at night.

I am a minimalist by nature as well as a librarian and I have come to appreciate the appeal of ebooks. I have a Nook Simple Touch and read both library ebooks as well as those I’ve purchased. But I still read print books–I like the mix of both. As a new romance reader, however, many new novellas and stories are only available in ebook format and I read them on my Nook!

I was absolutely sure I would never switch to e-books, but I’m a complete convert now, and SO happy about it. Except for the piles of paper books I have in my office that I still haven’t read. I look at those and think… I would definitely get to them if they were on my kindle or my iPhone or my iPad.

I have a Kindle Fire and was sure I wouldn’t use it that much because I prefer to get books from the library than buy them. Thankfully now, the library has some books available for reading on the Kindle. When I travel it’s so much easier to just throw the Kindle in my bag and go. But otherwise, I’m happy with my stack of books from the library!!

I have a Kindle and I really like it. I’ve used it a lot on vacations the last 2 years because it’s so much easier than packing a separate suitcase for my books. I could take it to school when I taught and read without worrying about the cover, either. I also have discovered a lot of new authors for very reasonable prices on Amazon. That being said, I like “real” books better. I like being able to go back and reread a particular section. If I can get a book from the library, it’s better for my wallet. And if a book is cheaper to buy in paper than for the Kindle, I’ll buy it. So it’s pretty much about the money for me.

I love holding a “real” book but I also like the convenience of e-readers. I have a Kindle but what I usually read on is my iPad. I have the apps for the Kindle, Sony e-reader and Nook so I can get the best deal on books and read in any format.

I’ve had my nook color for almost two years and I LOVE IT! I caved, and bought the nook when my teenage daughter got one for her birthday so we could share books. I have almost 480 books on my nook and I don’t go anywhere without it. I also have a ton of paper books, most of which I don’t read anymore. I can’t even tell you when I last read a paper book! I wish I had some words of wisdom for you to help you enjoy your experience more. My favorite part of my nook is being able to use the instant dictionary and even the internet to find pictures and other helpful information lie map. I am a total visual person and often look things up to help me get a better mental picture of the book. Good luck to you and I hope you find a happy reading medium, even if it is a paper book!